Scaling Tied To S.H.I.E.L.D. Clearance Levels (5/25/17)

1…1920212325

Comments

  • JaGo
    JaGo Posts: 103 Tile Toppler

    To clarify, I could not care less about placement rewards. I'm referring only to progression. This game is not a competition for me. It is a 3 match favorite related to one of my all time favorite interests, Marvel Comics. I love to play every day and gain more characters and levels. I  very rarely do any pvp,so Why do my opinions offend or upset? Obviously my interests are somewhat selfish, but why wouldn't you want everyone to progress as quickly as possible? I feel like this animosity would be completely reduced with the abolition of the placement portion of pve. I so wish it were strictly "story mode". These discussions would be so much more agreeable.

    -JaGo
  • JaGo
    JaGo Posts: 103 Tile Toppler
    New McG said:
    zodiac339 said:
    Players having a competitive edge in PVE because their lower tier roster somehow clears the content more efficiently that a higher tier roster is 1) impressive use of what the player has or 2) the fault of the Developers for not properly balancing the way scaling works at the higher levels. Don't expect the developers to punish lower tier players for the shortcomings of the developers because that, dear player, is far less fair that the scaling you face.
    It's been the closest thing to a passable middle ground for the time up to this point. The fact that your roster dictates scaling means that whether I jump in SCL 5 or 8, I'm fighting the same stuff. All that changes from SCL to SCL are the rewards, which is backwards. The SCLs dedicated to the longest-term players should be harder in general, reagrdless of roster. Gaming the system, by keeping your roster low to make the opposition easier, has been a usable strategy for years now. Now the system will (hopefully soon) be shifting towards one that benefits a strong roster, rather than penalizes for it. 

    I don't believe in soft capping and have never utilized it as a strategy. Why the heck do you think I have access to SCL8??? I level when possible excluding 5 stars but only because they are so under covered. I roster every new character I'm lucky enough to pull/earn and level them when ISO is available. 
  • mpqr7
    mpqr7 Posts: 2,642 Chairperson of the Boards
    I loved the test, and I hope they do it again soon!!!!!! I can't stand my current PVE scaling at SCL 8... the test version was much easier and more fair! Especially in levels with the dreaded Muscles!!!
  • Crowl
    Crowl Posts: 1,580 Chairperson of the Boards
    Nepenthe said:
    New McG said:
    zodiac339 said:

    As for feeling like your roster was worth it, getting better gear in games has always, almost invariably, meant fighting bigger, stronger, scarier things. Why should MPQ suddenly become vastly different from that?

    If the prize for something is the exact same thing, but one person is fighting level 125s, and the other is fighting 450s, does that sound remotely fair?
    Also, this change is making MPQ more like other games. When you level up in an rpg you don't stay in the same area fighting the same mobs who are higher level now. You move up to the next zone, fight harder mobs for more rewards. That's moving up to the next CL and fighting higher level nodes. 

    This scaling change is finally adding the idea of making progress back into PvE.  Collect more covers, level your roster, and then you can step up to the next CL.
    That analogy falls down somewhat as in most games, the person that hangs around an area that is too low level for them doesn't get any usable rewards or exp for doing so, except in mpq there is nowhere for people to move up to due to the ridiculous delay in releasing an scl9 or higher.
  • Crowl
    Crowl Posts: 1,580 Chairperson of the Boards
    GrumpySmurf1002 said:
    ZootSax said:
    I really like this idea quite a bit.  If they opened up SCL9 and had something like two 4*'s in the progression to make it demonstrably better than SCL8 and implemented the "heroic" system similar to what you described, I feel like it would be a solid improvement across the board. 
    Two 4s would be nice, but I'm not sure that's enough incentive to keep people from dropping down.   Especially now with vaulting, I don't foresee players having a problem skipping old 4*s in favor of easier competition/scaling.

    Thing to keep in mind is that the 5* players are also fairly well loaded in 4s, some boasting ones lvl 340+.   They won't have a problem dropping to 7 and using those characters (heck, they might welcome the change of pace).

    From players perspective, this is ultimately a "how do i get the most rewards for the least amount of time."  Devs need to keep that in mind as they set their scaling/rewards, because 1000iso isn't gonna be enough incentive to get someone to play an extra (up to) 2 hours a day.

    If there is no realistic solution to the problem of how to stop people dropping down to a lower SCL then they need to look at how they can minimise people doing that and again it is the old suggestion of shifting more rewards onto progression rather than placement, have placement rewards being simply some combination of iso/hp/cp and move covers and tokens onto progression as then it won't matter as much if they place lower.
  • Wumpushunter
    Wumpushunter Posts: 627 Critical Contributor
    Mega rewards was not my term but people in CL8 wanting more. Some boost in rewards is fine but if CL 8 & 9 start handing out major progression rewards with an improve the in other clearance levels those in CL 5 & 6 will never be able to move up in pve or pvp.
  • Skrofa
    Skrofa Posts: 388 Mover and Shaker
    nick_chicane said:
    People that say dropping down from SCL8 will stop their progress are talking absolute nonsense. The difference between SCL8 and SCL7 are a small amount of ISO, HP, a few CP and one 3* cover. I know cause I dropped from 8 to 7 for that event. People that think thats going to end their progress are just exaggerating to try and stop the change as it will end their easy ride in SCL8.




    That's progression rewards. So, apart from what you have listed, there is also what one will be missing from placement.

    T1 in scl7 is what? 3 4* covers
    T2-5 2 4*
    T6-10 just 1 4*.

    Now, placement rewards in scl8 are not that more generous (1 extra cover throughout t1-10) and some extra iso and tokens I think. They are however better for the transitioner rather than the person who is already there.

    If you rely on progression rewards to further your roster you are indeed taking the long way around. You'll get there eventually and it will be easier in scl7, sure. Scl8 however is better for those who are transitioning and their goal is placement.

    If the rewards stay as they are, scl8 is the pure 4* transitioner place IMHO and 5* rosters reaaaaaallly need 9 and 10
  • zodiac339
    zodiac339 Posts: 1,948 Chairperson of the Boards
    fmftint said:
    Bottom line is rank 52 (47 for the test event) to 125 is too wide a range to share identical scaling.
    Do you mean scaling or do you mean static levels? There was no "scaling" during the test event, and I think that's what you're saying is a problem: that all players over 58 shield ranks were fighting enemies of the same level in SCL8.
  • ursopro
    ursopro Posts: 334 Mover and Shaker
    Keep the current scaling as it is right now.

    I'm more than happy to keep "stealing" 1st places with my 3* roster from those more "deserving" 5* players.

    TIL the placement rewards are about deserving :D
  • sirwookieechris
    sirwookieechris Posts: 131 Tile Toppler
    Fightmastermpq said:
    zodiac339 said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    JaGo said:
    Personally, I like the system as is. During the experiment my 2 star essential went from 80ish levels at the start to the 140's for SCL 7 Really?? That's just the easiest comparison I could think of. The others were just bonkers and it's the first time since SCL's were introduced that I didn't just automatically join SCL 8. And honestly, my roster did not start accelerating until 4 clears in PVE awarded a total of 25 CP. it was abyssmally slow until they made that change. Now that it takes 5 clears( right? ) to max out progression for an event it slowed down again for me considerably . That combined with these huge jumps in "starting" levels caused me to just quit the event altogether. That's a first for me as well. It was exhausting and chewed through health packs like sand storm through paper mache. 

    I understand the plight of the players with many champed 4 stars and 5's, but making it harder for the rest of us isn't the answer either.

    I wish I had a great suggestion that was fair to all of us, but I don't. I simply wanted to state my point of view.

    The 4 clear system and previous SCL 8 awards were perfect for me and I really want them back. It fit my busy schedule and accelerated my roster.

    Regards,

    -JaGo


    Unfortunately you were getting rewards that you never deserved. SCL8 is the absolute highest they currently have to offer, so obviously it's meant for the best rosters.  If you couldn't handle the level 300 or whatever they were enemies that SCL8 was throwing at you, then you roster is not yet big enough to reap the best rewards.  Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there.
    Unfortunately, this attitude does not hold water. While a person just entering SCL8 may not "deserve" the top placement rewards, they do deserve the progression rewards. Good placement is gravy. Progression is, however, necessary.
    Let us make a comparison here to PVP. Now, you might say a person does not deserve the top rewards from PVP without having the biggest roster, and in the case of PVP, this ends up being the case. And without the biggest roster, even the top progression reward is unattainable, as beyond a certain number of points, there is no way to really progress as points are lost due to attacks. There becomes a progression plateau at various levels of roster strength. A 4 star roster may rarely get to 1200, but will probably not. A 3 star roster might get 900 by some miracle. A 2 star roster should probably hit 300 and call it a day. Would your suggestion be to, "Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there?" No. PVP is an area of the game where, regardless of the SCL, players are denied rewards they "deserve" in order to progress because the plateau of points is the same.
    Players need to be able to play in the SCL they have access to, PVP or PVE. To say they shouldn't be there due to the strength of the roster is massively and inexcusably arrogant. Players having a competitive edge in PVE because their lower tier roster somehow clears the content more efficiently that a higher tier roster is 1) impressive use of what the player has or 2) the fault of the Developers for not properly balancing the way scaling works at the higher levels. Don't expect the developers to punish lower tier players for the shortcomings of the developers because that, dear player, is far less fair that the scaling you face.
    The truth hurts sometimes.  We are not all beautiful and unique snowflakes, some of us have stronger rosters than others, which allows us to face stronger enemies, which should provide better rewards.  They screwed up shield ranks by allowing players with really weak rosters into the highest SCLs.  Just because you can play in the highest SCL doesn't mean that you should or that you belong there.  It's hard for me to tell, but I think this test did a pretty decent job of distributing rewards proportional to the strength of rosters that were able to compete at each SCL.  And that's how it should be.  Everyone that competes for the same rewards faces the same enemies.  The stronger those enemies are, the better the rewards.

    It's not unfair that a SCL8 player before that couldn't compete in the SCL8 test had rewards taken from them.  It was unfair that they were ever getting those rewards in the first place.  Be thankful you had them for so long, and pray that this test period moves at a snails pace.  I'll do the opposite.
    And what about all the 5* roster people dropping down to T7 to snipe top spots because they rather give up 1 4* cover and 1 3* cover than play 2x the time? It's unfair to drop down to lower ranks and mess with the placement of people who actually are supposed to be there and get those covers to help get them to that next level. If you want the tiers to be this magical land where you need to earn your spot in the higher ranks, than I say once you choose to enter a new level, then you can no longer move back to lower levels. We don't need whales in the kiddy pool.
  • Fightmastermpq
    Fightmastermpq Posts: 995 Critical Contributor
    sirwookieechris said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    zodiac339 said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    JaGo said:
    Personally, I like the system as is. During the experiment my 2 star essential went from 80ish levels at the start to the 140's for SCL 7 Really?? That's just the easiest comparison I could think of. The others were just bonkers and it's the first time since SCL's were introduced that I didn't just automatically join SCL 8. And honestly, my roster did not start accelerating until 4 clears in PVE awarded a total of 25 CP. it was abyssmally slow until they made that change. Now that it takes 5 clears( right? ) to max out progression for an event it slowed down again for me considerably . That combined with these huge jumps in "starting" levels caused me to just quit the event altogether. That's a first for me as well. It was exhausting and chewed through health packs like sand storm through paper mache. 

    I understand the plight of the players with many champed 4 stars and 5's, but making it harder for the rest of us isn't the answer either.

    I wish I had a great suggestion that was fair to all of us, but I don't. I simply wanted to state my point of view.

    The 4 clear system and previous SCL 8 awards were perfect for me and I really want them back. It fit my busy schedule and accelerated my roster.

    Regards,

    -JaGo


    Unfortunately you were getting rewards that you never deserved. SCL8 is the absolute highest they currently have to offer, so obviously it's meant for the best rosters.  If you couldn't handle the level 300 or whatever they were enemies that SCL8 was throwing at you, then you roster is not yet big enough to reap the best rewards.  Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there.
    Unfortunately, this attitude does not hold water. While a person just entering SCL8 may not "deserve" the top placement rewards, they do deserve the progression rewards. Good placement is gravy. Progression is, however, necessary.
    Let us make a comparison here to PVP. Now, you might say a person does not deserve the top rewards from PVP without having the biggest roster, and in the case of PVP, this ends up being the case. And without the biggest roster, even the top progression reward is unattainable, as beyond a certain number of points, there is no way to really progress as points are lost due to attacks. There becomes a progression plateau at various levels of roster strength. A 4 star roster may rarely get to 1200, but will probably not. A 3 star roster might get 900 by some miracle. A 2 star roster should probably hit 300 and call it a day. Would your suggestion be to, "Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there?" No. PVP is an area of the game where, regardless of the SCL, players are denied rewards they "deserve" in order to progress because the plateau of points is the same.
    Players need to be able to play in the SCL they have access to, PVP or PVE. To say they shouldn't be there due to the strength of the roster is massively and inexcusably arrogant. Players having a competitive edge in PVE because their lower tier roster somehow clears the content more efficiently that a higher tier roster is 1) impressive use of what the player has or 2) the fault of the Developers for not properly balancing the way scaling works at the higher levels. Don't expect the developers to punish lower tier players for the shortcomings of the developers because that, dear player, is far less fair that the scaling you face.
    The truth hurts sometimes.  We are not all beautiful and unique snowflakes, some of us have stronger rosters than others, which allows us to face stronger enemies, which should provide better rewards.  They screwed up shield ranks by allowing players with really weak rosters into the highest SCLs.  Just because you can play in the highest SCL doesn't mean that you should or that you belong there.  It's hard for me to tell, but I think this test did a pretty decent job of distributing rewards proportional to the strength of rosters that were able to compete at each SCL.  And that's how it should be.  Everyone that competes for the same rewards faces the same enemies.  The stronger those enemies are, the better the rewards.

    It's not unfair that a SCL8 player before that couldn't compete in the SCL8 test had rewards taken from them.  It was unfair that they were ever getting those rewards in the first place.  Be thankful you had them for so long, and pray that this test period moves at a snails pace.  I'll do the opposite.
    And what about all the 5* roster people dropping down to T7 to snipe top spots because they rather give up 1 4* cover and 1 3* cover than play 2x the time? It's unfair to drop down to lower ranks and mess with the placement of people who actually are supposed to be there and get those covers to help get them to that next level. If you want the tiers to be this magical land where you need to earn your spot in the higher ranks, than I say once you choose to enter a new level, then you can no longer move back to lower levels. We don't need whales in the kiddy pool.
    I don't disagree with you.  But that only happened because the increase in rewards from SCL7 to SCL8 is a complete joke, while the increase in difficulty was substantial.  There was a problem with the balance of difficulty vs. reward which could be modified in the next test by either increasing the difficulty in SCL7, lowering the rewards, or some combination of both.
  • Wumpushunter
    Wumpushunter Posts: 627 Critical Contributor
    Just do something, my roster as it is now is stuck in limbo. If you create max and mins based on CL then you can work up to a point where you can stay in a CL but have an easy time with it. If you level up right at the moment you will just increase the difficulty for the most part. Do something!
  • adamdivine
    adamdivine Posts: 136 Tile Toppler
    @Brigby any idea when we will hear an update about future tests or implementation of a permanent change?
  • AlluAllu
    AlluAllu Posts: 86 Match Maker
    How about this: Scaling is tied to clearance level, everyone can choose any clearance level they want, BUT you can only earn placement from your highest available level. This would mean that more advanced rosters could choose to make their lives easier without "robbing the awards from kiddy pool". :) 
  • Brigby
    Brigby ADMINISTRATORS Posts: 7,757 Site Admin
    adamdivine said:
    @Brigby any idea when we will hear an update about future tests or implementation of a permanent change?
    As of right now, the development team is still reviewing the results of the test event, so I unfortunately don't have any information regarding an update about future tests or permanent implementations. I'll be sure to inform the community if any of that changes.
  • Arphaxad
    Arphaxad Posts: 278 Mover and Shaker
    Fightmastermpq said:
    sirwookieechris said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    zodiac339 said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    JaGo said:
    Personally, I like the system as is. During the experiment my 2 star essential went from 80ish levels at the start to the 140's for SCL 7 Really?? That's just the easiest comparison I could think of. The others were just bonkers and it's the first time since SCL's were introduced that I didn't just automatically join SCL 8. And honestly, my roster did not start accelerating until 4 clears in PVE awarded a total of 25 CP. it was abyssmally slow until they made that change. Now that it takes 5 clears( right? ) to max out progression for an event it slowed down again for me considerably . That combined with these huge jumps in "starting" levels caused me to just quit the event altogether. That's a first for me as well. It was exhausting and chewed through health packs like sand storm through paper mache. 

    I understand the plight of the players with many champed 4 stars and 5's, but making it harder for the rest of us isn't the answer either.

    I wish I had a great suggestion that was fair to all of us, but I don't. I simply wanted to state my point of view.

    The 4 clear system and previous SCL 8 awards were perfect for me and I really want them back. It fit my busy schedule and accelerated my roster.

    Regards,

    -JaGo


    Unfortunately you were getting rewards that you never deserved. SCL8 is the absolute highest they currently have to offer, so obviously it's meant for the best rosters.  If you couldn't handle the level 300 or whatever they were enemies that SCL8 was throwing at you, then you roster is not yet big enough to reap the best rewards.  Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there.
    Unfortunately, this attitude does not hold water. While a person just entering SCL8 may not "deserve" the top placement rewards, they do deserve the progression rewards. Good placement is gravy. Progression is, however, necessary.
    Let us make a comparison here to PVP. Now, you might say a person does not deserve the top rewards from PVP without having the biggest roster, and in the case of PVP, this ends up being the case. And without the biggest roster, even the top progression reward is unattainable, as beyond a certain number of points, there is no way to really progress as points are lost due to attacks. There becomes a progression plateau at various levels of roster strength. A 4 star roster may rarely get to 1200, but will probably not. A 3 star roster might get 900 by some miracle. A 2 star roster should probably hit 300 and call it a day. Would your suggestion be to, "Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there?" No. PVP is an area of the game where, regardless of the SCL, players are denied rewards they "deserve" in order to progress because the plateau of points is the same.
    Players need to be able to play in the SCL they have access to, PVP or PVE. To say they shouldn't be there due to the strength of the roster is massively and inexcusably arrogant. Players having a competitive edge in PVE because their lower tier roster somehow clears the content more efficiently that a higher tier roster is 1) impressive use of what the player has or 2) the fault of the Developers for not properly balancing the way scaling works at the higher levels. Don't expect the developers to punish lower tier players for the shortcomings of the developers because that, dear player, is far less fair that the scaling you face.
    The truth hurts sometimes.  We are not all beautiful and unique snowflakes, some of us have stronger rosters than others, which allows us to face stronger enemies, which should provide better rewards.  They screwed up shield ranks by allowing players with really weak rosters into the highest SCLs.  Just because you can play in the highest SCL doesn't mean that you should or that you belong there.  It's hard for me to tell, but I think this test did a pretty decent job of distributing rewards proportional to the strength of rosters that were able to compete at each SCL.  And that's how it should be.  Everyone that competes for the same rewards faces the same enemies.  The stronger those enemies are, the better the rewards.

    It's not unfair that a SCL8 player before that couldn't compete in the SCL8 test had rewards taken from them.  It was unfair that they were ever getting those rewards in the first place.  Be thankful you had them for so long, and pray that this test period moves at a snails pace.  I'll do the opposite.
    And what about all the 5* roster people dropping down to T7 to snipe top spots because they rather give up 1 4* cover and 1 3* cover than play 2x the time? It's unfair to drop down to lower ranks and mess with the placement of people who actually are supposed to be there and get those covers to help get them to that next level. If you want the tiers to be this magical land where you need to earn your spot in the higher ranks, than I say once you choose to enter a new level, then you can no longer move back to lower levels. We don't need whales in the kiddy pool.
    I don't disagree with you.  But that only happened because the increase in rewards from SCL7 to SCL8 is a complete joke, while the increase in difficulty was substantial.  There was a problem with the balance of difficulty vs. reward which could be modified in the next test by either increasing the difficulty in SCL7, lowering the rewards, or some combination of both.
    A better plan would be to open CL9 for the higher difficulty and rewards, lower CL8 to a reasonable level. CL7 is perfect for those in that progression bracket, no need to make it harder.
  • Fightmastermpq
    Fightmastermpq Posts: 995 Critical Contributor
    Arphaxad said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    sirwookieechris said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    zodiac339 said:
    Fightmastermpq said:
    JaGo said:
    Personally, I like the system as is. During the experiment my 2 star essential went from 80ish levels at the start to the 140's for SCL 7 Really?? That's just the easiest comparison I could think of. The others were just bonkers and it's the first time since SCL's were introduced that I didn't just automatically join SCL 8. And honestly, my roster did not start accelerating until 4 clears in PVE awarded a total of 25 CP. it was abyssmally slow until they made that change. Now that it takes 5 clears( right? ) to max out progression for an event it slowed down again for me considerably . That combined with these huge jumps in "starting" levels caused me to just quit the event altogether. That's a first for me as well. It was exhausting and chewed through health packs like sand storm through paper mache. 

    I understand the plight of the players with many champed 4 stars and 5's, but making it harder for the rest of us isn't the answer either.

    I wish I had a great suggestion that was fair to all of us, but I don't. I simply wanted to state my point of view.

    The 4 clear system and previous SCL 8 awards were perfect for me and I really want them back. It fit my busy schedule and accelerated my roster.

    Regards,

    -JaGo


    Unfortunately you were getting rewards that you never deserved. SCL8 is the absolute highest they currently have to offer, so obviously it's meant for the best rosters.  If you couldn't handle the level 300 or whatever they were enemies that SCL8 was throwing at you, then you roster is not yet big enough to reap the best rewards.  Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there.
    Unfortunately, this attitude does not hold water. While a person just entering SCL8 may not "deserve" the top placement rewards, they do deserve the progression rewards. Good placement is gravy. Progression is, however, necessary.
    Let us make a comparison here to PVP. Now, you might say a person does not deserve the top rewards from PVP without having the biggest roster, and in the case of PVP, this ends up being the case. And without the biggest roster, even the top progression reward is unattainable, as beyond a certain number of points, there is no way to really progress as points are lost due to attacks. There becomes a progression plateau at various levels of roster strength. A 4 star roster may rarely get to 1200, but will probably not. A 3 star roster might get 900 by some miracle. A 2 star roster should probably hit 300 and call it a day. Would your suggestion be to, "Drop down until you can deal with the difficulty and progress from there?" No. PVP is an area of the game where, regardless of the SCL, players are denied rewards they "deserve" in order to progress because the plateau of points is the same.
    Players need to be able to play in the SCL they have access to, PVP or PVE. To say they shouldn't be there due to the strength of the roster is massively and inexcusably arrogant. Players having a competitive edge in PVE because their lower tier roster somehow clears the content more efficiently that a higher tier roster is 1) impressive use of what the player has or 2) the fault of the Developers for not properly balancing the way scaling works at the higher levels. Don't expect the developers to punish lower tier players for the shortcomings of the developers because that, dear player, is far less fair that the scaling you face.
    The truth hurts sometimes.  We are not all beautiful and unique snowflakes, some of us have stronger rosters than others, which allows us to face stronger enemies, which should provide better rewards.  They screwed up shield ranks by allowing players with really weak rosters into the highest SCLs.  Just because you can play in the highest SCL doesn't mean that you should or that you belong there.  It's hard for me to tell, but I think this test did a pretty decent job of distributing rewards proportional to the strength of rosters that were able to compete at each SCL.  And that's how it should be.  Everyone that competes for the same rewards faces the same enemies.  The stronger those enemies are, the better the rewards.

    It's not unfair that a SCL8 player before that couldn't compete in the SCL8 test had rewards taken from them.  It was unfair that they were ever getting those rewards in the first place.  Be thankful you had them for so long, and pray that this test period moves at a snails pace.  I'll do the opposite.
    And what about all the 5* roster people dropping down to T7 to snipe top spots because they rather give up 1 4* cover and 1 3* cover than play 2x the time? It's unfair to drop down to lower ranks and mess with the placement of people who actually are supposed to be there and get those covers to help get them to that next level. If you want the tiers to be this magical land where you need to earn your spot in the higher ranks, than I say once you choose to enter a new level, then you can no longer move back to lower levels. We don't need whales in the kiddy pool.
    I don't disagree with you.  But that only happened because the increase in rewards from SCL7 to SCL8 is a complete joke, while the increase in difficulty was substantial.  There was a problem with the balance of difficulty vs. reward which could be modified in the next test by either increasing the difficulty in SCL7, lowering the rewards, or some combination of both.
    A better plan would be to open CL9 for the higher difficulty and rewards, lower CL8 to a reasonable level. CL7 is perfect for those in that progression bracket, no need to make it harder.
    I disagree completely.  CL7 was a joke of difficulty for the rewards that were available there.

Categories